Depilation cuts or dissolves the hair, but the root stays in the skin: this is how razors and depilatory creams work. Epilation removes the hair together with the root or destroys the follicle the hair grows from: waxing, sugaring, epilators, tweezers, threading and laser.
The words get mixed up because salons often call waxing and sugaring depilation, while medical reviews class them as epilation.
Sources: Skin Therapy Letter, 2021: Hair Removal Practices, a literature review (PubMed)
What is depilation
Depilation removes the hair shaft, that is the hair itself without its root, while the root and bulb stay in the skin. A razor cuts the hair at skin level, and a cream dissolves it chemically without reaching the bulb.
The smoothness does not last long: after shaving, hair shows above the skin within a few hours, or a few days at best. After a cream it grows back more slowly than after shaving, but faster than after waxing.
Shaving does not make hair thicker or darker; that myth is covered in does shaving make hair grow back thicker.
Sources: DermNet, shaving, American Family Physician (AAFP), 2002, Cleveland Clinic, depilatory cream
What is epilation
Epilation removes the hair together with the root. Tweezers pull hairs out one at a time, an epilator grabs several at once, and a twisted thread catches hairs in its loops and pulls them out by the roots. Wax pulls out the whole hair, and sugaring works the same way, only with a sugar paste instead of wax.
The smoothness lasts longer than after shaving: after waxing, hair grows back in 2-3 weeks. But like shaving, waxing can cause inflamed follicles, redness, irritation and ingrown hairs, and plucking and threading can lead to ingrown hairs as well. What to do about them is covered in laser hair removal and ingrown hairs.
Sources: American Family Physician (AAFP), 2002, DermNet, epilation, DermNet, waxing, Cleveland Clinic, shaving vs. waxing, NHS (UK), Ingrown hairs
Which method is which
The line is drawn by what stays in the skin. If the root is still there, it is depilation. If the hair is pulled out with the root or the follicle is destroyed, it is epilation. This is how, for example, a 2021 review of hair removal methods in the journal Skin Therapy Letter divides them.
| Method | What happens to the hair | What people often call it | What it is by classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razor | cut at skin level | shaving, depilation | depilation |
| Depilatory cream | dissolved, the bulb stays | depilatory cream | depilation |
| Wax | pulled out with the root | waxing, sometimes depilation | epilation |
| Sugaring | pulled out with the root, like wax | sugaring, sometimes depilation | epilation |
| Epilator, tweezers, thread | pulled out with the root | epilation, plucking, threading | epilation |
| Laser | heat destroys the follicle | laser hair removal | epilation |
Sources: Skin Therapy Letter, 2021: Hair Removal Practices, a literature review (PubMed)
Why waxing is called depilation
By what happens to the hair, waxing and sugaring are epilation. Salons often split the words differently: temporary methods, waxing and sugaring included, are called depilation, and only what acts on the follicle long-term, that is laser and electrolysis, is called epilation. Hence "wax depilation" and "Brazilian depilation". How a Brazilian differs from a Hollywood is covered in Brazilian vs Hollywood.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, shaving vs. waxing, DermNet, epilation
How Czech uses the words
In Czech, waxing and sugaring are usually called depilace: depilace voskem (with wax), depilace cukrovou pastou (with sugar paste), brazilská depilace. Laser is more often called laserová epilace, but laserová depilace is used too.
Czech dictionaries are not strict here. The older academic dictionary of standard Czech separates the words the way medicine does: depilace is removing hair from the surface, epilace is removing it together with the root. According to the language handbook of the Czech Language Institute of the Academy of Sciences, the two are interchangeable, and the new academic dictionary of contemporary Czech lists both "depilace voskem" and "dlouhodobá laserová depilace" among its examples. So in Czech, neither word is a mistake.
Sources: Ústav pro jazyk český AV ČR, Internetová jazyková příručka: depilace, Ústav pro jazyk český AV ČR, Internetová jazyková příručka: epilace, Akademický slovník současné češtiny: depilace
Where laser fits
Laser does not pull hair out. Dark hair, which has a lot of pigment, absorbs the laser's heat and passes it to the follicle, and the follicle is destroyed. In medical classification, laser sits among epilation methods, next to waxing and tweezers, even though it works quite differently. IPL (intense pulsed light) and electrolysis belong there too.
Laser reduces hair growth for a long time, but not completely: some hair grows back, usually lighter and finer than before. Most people stay hair-free for months or even years after a course, but a maintenance session may be needed to keep the skin smooth.
On blonde, grey and red hair, laser may work less well. How laser compares with waxing, shaving and home devices is covered in the complete guide to laser hair removal.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, Laser Hair Removal, AAD, laser hair removal FAQs, Skin Therapy Letter, 2021: Hair Removal Practices, a literature review (PubMed)
What it means if you are going for laser
While a laser course is running, the razor is the only method left. Wax, sugaring, epilators, tweezers, threading and depilatory creams are put aside for the course: once treatment begins, hair in the treated area is not plucked or waxed.
How to get ready for the first session, when to shave and which areas are not shaved at all is covered in how to prepare for laser hair removal.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, Laser Hair Removal
How we do it
At MEDULLA we work with a hybrid laser: alexandrite, diode and neodymium in one device, 755-1064 nm, with contact skin cooling. A course is usually 6-10 sessions, followed by maintenance 1-2 times a year.
Before your visit, shave your body the day before and skip waxing and sugaring for 3-4 weeks. Areas and prices are on the laser hair removal areas page.
Reviewed by: MEDULLA team